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Would-be pot growers looking to set up an underground bunker like the one police raided in Langley this week have several places to purchase used shipping containers.
At least five Lower Mainland companies sell large steel containers like the five that had been turned into an interconnected growing chamber with 430 marijuana plants inside.
And there were also several listed for sale in local Craigslist ads Wednesday ranging in price from less than $2,000 up to $5,000.
One Surrey vendor charging $3,750 for an insulated "high cube" container suggested right in his ad title that a prospective buyer could "Grow your own Reefer!"
Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said officers involved in searching the property in the 27,000-block of 56 Avenue had never seen underground containers used as grow operations before.
And he said the condition of the structures, which were under about two feet of dirt, was so poor that the sides and the roof could have caved on the people and equipment inside.
"When they came out of the ground and you looked at them - they had been under there for a while, a few years - they are pretty rusted. It is even possible at some point that the roofs could have collapsed or the sides could have collapsed and the earth would have fallen in on the grow or the people working as the gardeners," Houghton said.
No one has yet been charged, but police said they believe the sophisticated operation is linked to the Hells Angels.
Aaron Kirkland, president of the Great Container Company in Port Coquitlam, said he's not surprised that pot growers are using shipping containers.
But he said most people who want the versatile containers use them for farm storage or on construction sites.
He has, however, dealt with some who hold medical marijuana licences who wanted to use shipping containers as secure grow operations.
"You know who the nefarious ones are because they are paying cash and they really have no interest in a receipt," he said.
Burying them underground is risky, he said, because their roofs are not constructed to hold tons of dirt.
"They are not designed for that at all. The roof doesn't have any strength to it. It is all on the four corner posts," Kirkland said.
An un-insulated 40-foot container sells for about $3,000, Kirkland said.
He estimates that the five main companies in the region - including his - sell between 50 and 80 containers a week. They buy them from shipping lines who are replacing their stock.
"It comes down to the fact that every five years, they have to be recertified. So before the 10th year, they sell them off when they are still in decent condition," Kirkland said.
Tommy Dunn, accounts manager at Cratex Containers, said it is very easy to purchase used containers in B.C.
Cratex not only sells them, but also delivers and installs them if a customer wants that service, Dunn said.
"We have dropped them in the ground, up the side of mountains. There have been some interesting drops for sure," he said. Dunn said he is aware that some with medical marijuana licences are using the containers for grow ops.
"We try not to ask too many questions," he said. "Does the guy at the hydroponic store ask you if you are growing tomatoes or pot when he is selling you the lights?"
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: vancouversun.com
Author: Kim Bolan
Contact: Contact Us - Vancouver Sun
Website: Pot growers find ready supply of used shipping containers
At least five Lower Mainland companies sell large steel containers like the five that had been turned into an interconnected growing chamber with 430 marijuana plants inside.
And there were also several listed for sale in local Craigslist ads Wednesday ranging in price from less than $2,000 up to $5,000.
One Surrey vendor charging $3,750 for an insulated "high cube" container suggested right in his ad title that a prospective buyer could "Grow your own Reefer!"
Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said officers involved in searching the property in the 27,000-block of 56 Avenue had never seen underground containers used as grow operations before.
And he said the condition of the structures, which were under about two feet of dirt, was so poor that the sides and the roof could have caved on the people and equipment inside.
"When they came out of the ground and you looked at them - they had been under there for a while, a few years - they are pretty rusted. It is even possible at some point that the roofs could have collapsed or the sides could have collapsed and the earth would have fallen in on the grow or the people working as the gardeners," Houghton said.
No one has yet been charged, but police said they believe the sophisticated operation is linked to the Hells Angels.
Aaron Kirkland, president of the Great Container Company in Port Coquitlam, said he's not surprised that pot growers are using shipping containers.
But he said most people who want the versatile containers use them for farm storage or on construction sites.
He has, however, dealt with some who hold medical marijuana licences who wanted to use shipping containers as secure grow operations.
"You know who the nefarious ones are because they are paying cash and they really have no interest in a receipt," he said.
Burying them underground is risky, he said, because their roofs are not constructed to hold tons of dirt.
"They are not designed for that at all. The roof doesn't have any strength to it. It is all on the four corner posts," Kirkland said.
An un-insulated 40-foot container sells for about $3,000, Kirkland said.
He estimates that the five main companies in the region - including his - sell between 50 and 80 containers a week. They buy them from shipping lines who are replacing their stock.
"It comes down to the fact that every five years, they have to be recertified. So before the 10th year, they sell them off when they are still in decent condition," Kirkland said.
Tommy Dunn, accounts manager at Cratex Containers, said it is very easy to purchase used containers in B.C.
Cratex not only sells them, but also delivers and installs them if a customer wants that service, Dunn said.
"We have dropped them in the ground, up the side of mountains. There have been some interesting drops for sure," he said. Dunn said he is aware that some with medical marijuana licences are using the containers for grow ops.
"We try not to ask too many questions," he said. "Does the guy at the hydroponic store ask you if you are growing tomatoes or pot when he is selling you the lights?"
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: vancouversun.com
Author: Kim Bolan
Contact: Contact Us - Vancouver Sun
Website: Pot growers find ready supply of used shipping containers
